Image Forming Apparatus

The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatuses such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, or a multifunction printer.

An image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, or a multi-function printer has an operation panel attached to the image forming apparatus. The operation panel includes, for example, operation keys and operation buttons operated by a user who uses the image forming apparatus; and a display that can display various types of information inputted through user operations, an operating state of each component disposed in the image forming apparatus, and the like.

In recent years, the operation panel tends to be increased in size for increasing the visibility of the display and for increasing the amount of information displayed on the display. In addition, one operation panel can be replaced with another having a different size, in accordance with user needs. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-228554 proposes an image forming apparatus to which any one of a plurality of operation panels having different sizes can be selected and attached. The operation panel is not only physically attached to the casing of the image forming apparatus, but also communicatively connected to a main-body control portion or the like disposed in the casing of the image forming apparatus.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-111009 proposes another image forming apparatus. In a case where a failure (error) of a display system occurs in an operation unit that includes a display device, and an image may not normally be displayed on the display device, the image forming apparatus causes a client terminal connected remotely to the image forming apparatus via a network, to display the error.

However, in an image forming apparatus that is not connected to a client terminal via a network, or in an image forming apparatus that does not have any network connection function, it is not possible to notify a user of the error in a case where a connection failure occurs in the operation panel and no image can be displayed on the display.

In view of the above-described issue, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an image forming apparatus that can notify a user of a connection failure of an operation panel without using the operation panel in a case where the connection failure occurs in the operation panel.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a lighting portion disposed in the apparatus body and configured to be visually recognized by a user from an outside of the image forming apparatus, a control portion configured to control the lighting portion, an operation portion disposed in the apparatus body, and a connection portion configured to communicatively connect the control portion and the operation portion. The control portion is configured to cause the lighting portion to emit light in a predetermined mode on the basis of the control portion being unable to communicate with the operation portion.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a driving portion configured to drive an operating member operably disposed in the apparatus body, a control portion configured to control the driving portion, an operation portion disposed in the apparatus body, and a connection portion configured to communicatively connect the control portion and the operation portion. The control portion is configured to cause the driving portion to cause the operating member to perform a predetermined operation on the basis of the control portion being unable to communicate with the operation portion.

Features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. The following description of embodiments is described by way of example.

1 FIG. 1 FIG. 1 1 155 Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described. First, an image forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to. An image forming apparatusillustrated inis a color-image forming apparatus that uses the electrophotographic system. In the present embodiment, the intermediate-transfer tandem image forming apparatusin which four-color image forming units are disposed side by side above an intermediate transfer beltis used, as an example, because the apparatus has excellent adaptability to various types of recording materials S and excellent productivity in printing. Note that the recording materials S may be various types of sheets including a paper sheet such as a sheet or an envelope, a plastic film such as a sheet used for an overhead projector, and a cloth sheet.

1 FIG. 1 12 1 12 12 500 500 As illustrated in, the image forming apparatusincludes a power supply apparatusdisposed in an apparatus bodyA. The power supply apparatusis supplied with electric power from an external commercial power source (not illustrated), and supplies electric power for operating each device. The power supply apparatusincludes a main-power switchfor a user to switch (turn on and off) the electric power supplied from the commercial power source. For example, the main-power switchis a seesaw or tactile switch.

14 1 14 141 142 142 142 In addition, a reader (document reading apparatus)is disposed above the apparatus bodyA for optically reading an image of a document and converting the image into read data. The readerincludes a glass-like transparent document platen, and an automatic document feeder (ADF)that serves as a conveyance portion. A document can be set on the ADF, and the document that is set on the ADFis automatically conveyed to a reading position of the document.

2 1 1 900 900 10 2 2 500 12 2 500 12 2 2 1 3 FIG. In addition, an operation panelthat serves as an operation portion is detachably attached to the apparatus bodyA. In the apparatus bodyA, a main-body connection portion(i.e., a connector) is disposed. The main-body connection portionserves as a connection portion that communicatively connects a below-described main-body control portion(see) and the operation panel. The replacement work of the operation panelis performed in a state where the main-power switchis turned off (main-power OFF) and the electric power supplied by the power supply apparatusis stopped. After the operation panelis replaced with another, the main-power switchis turned on (main-power ON), and the electric power is supplied again by the power supply apparatus. The operation panelwill be described later. Note that in the present specification, the side on which a user stands for operating the operation panelfor operating the image forming apparatusis referred to as a front side (front surface side), the side opposite to the front side is referred to as a back side, the right side viewed from the front surface side is referred to as a right side, and the left side viewed from the front surface side is referred to as a left side. In addition, the upper side viewed from the front surface side is referred to as an upper side, and the lower side viewed from the front surface side is referred to as a lower side.

1 15 15 150 150 150 150 150 151 151 151 151 151 152 152 152 152 152 15 153 153 153 153 153 154 154 154 154 154 15 155 150 156 155 157 155 157 The image forming apparatusincludes an image forming portionthat forms an image on the recording material S. The image forming portionincludes photosensitive drums(Y,M,C,K), chargers(Y,M,C,K), and developing units(Y,M,C,K). The image forming portionalso includes primary transfer rollers(Y,M,C,K) and laser scanner units(Y,M,C,K). Furthermore, the image forming portionincludes the intermediate transfer beltonto which toner images formed on the plurality of photosensitive drumsare primary-transferred, a secondary transfer outer rollerthat secondary-transfers the toner images primary-transferred onto the intermediate transfer beltto the recording material S, and a secondary transfer inner roller. The intermediate transfer beltis stretched by tension rollers including the secondary transfer inner roller, and is driven and rotated.

19 19 191 192 15 191 192 193 193 193 155 157 156 155 The recording materials S are stacked on feeding cassettesA andB and fed by feed rollersandsuch that each recording material S is fed in accordance with an image forming timing in the image forming portion. The recording material S fed by each of the feed rollersandis conveyed to a registration roller pair. The registration roller paircorrects the skew of the recording material S conveyed, and feeds the recording material S to a secondary transfer portion N at a predetermined timing in accordance with an image forming timing for the recording material S. That is, the registration roller pairconveys the recording material S to the secondary transfer portion N in accordance with a timing at which the toner image borne on the intermediate transfer beltreaches the secondary transfer portion N. The secondary transfer portion N is formed by the secondary transfer inner rollerand the secondary transfer outer rollerthat are disposed so as to face each other via the intermediate transfer belt.

150 151 15 150 154 154 150 14 150 150 152 150 155 153 In parallel with the above-described conveyance process of the recording material S, the surface of the photosensitive drumthat is rotated is uniformly charged by the chargerin the image forming portion. The charged surface of the photosensitive drumis exposed by the laser scanner unit. The laser scanner unitirradiates the surface of the photosensitive drumwith a laser beam based on the reading data of a document read by the readeror image data sent from an external apparatus (not illustrated) via a network, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drumis developed by the developing unitusing developer that contains toner. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drumin the development is primary-transferred onto the intermediate transfer beltby a predetermined pressure and a primary transfer bias being applied to the toner image by the primary transfer roller.

15 155 155 155 155 13 13 The above-described image forming process by the image forming portionis performed for each of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), and thereby toner images of the respective colors are transferred onto the intermediate transfer beltso as to be superposed on each other. In this manner, a full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt. After that, with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt, the full-color toner image is conveyed to the secondary transfer portion N. In the secondary transfer portion N, a predetermined pressure and a secondary transfer bias are applied to the toner image, so that the toner image is secondary-transferred from the intermediate transfer beltto the recording material S. The recording material S onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to a fixing apparatus. The fixing apparatuscauses rollers or a roller and a belt disposed so as to face each other, to apply a predetermined pressure to the recording material S; and causes a heat source, such as a heater, to apply heat to the recording material S, thereby fixing the toner image to the recording material S.

1 16 16 16 161 16 161 a b. In the apparatus bodyA, a processing apparatusthat serves as a processing portion is additionally disposed as an option apparatus. The processing apparatuscan perform at least one of the stapling process, the punching process, and the binding process on the recording material S. Thus, in a case where a process such as the stapling process, the punching process, or the binding process is specified by a user, a recording material S that has been processed by the processing apparatusis discharged to a discharging tray. On the other hand, in a case where the process such as the stapling process, the punching process, or the binding process is not specified by a user, a recording material S that has not been processed by the processing apparatusis discharged to a discharging tray

2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 26 10 2 2 FIGS.A andB 3 FIG. a b a b In the present embodiment, one operation panelis disposed in the apparatus bodyA such that the operation panelcan be replaced with another that has a different size. Thus, the operation panelsthat have sizes different from each other are prepared in advance.illustrate operation panelsandhaving sizes different from each other. Each of the operation panelsandincludes a cablethat serves as a connection portion that communicatively connects the operation panel and the below-described main-body control portion(see).

2 21 22 21 21 22 21 22 21 21 22 2 21 22 a a 2 FIG.A The operation panelillustrated inincludes a display, such as a liquid crystal display, that can display various types of information; and a touch panelthat receives an operation instruction by a user, by detecting the operation performed on the display. Since the displayand the touch panelare disposed so as to be put on each other, an image displayed on the displayis provided to a user through the touch panel. For example, a user can instruct the start of an image forming job (program) that forms an image on the recording material S, or can set the number of sheets on which images are to be formed and the size of the recording material S, by touching buttons or keys displayed on the screen of the display. Note that although the displayand the touch panelare components separate from each other in the present embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the operation panelmay include a touch panel display that has functions of both of the displayand the touch panel.

2 24 2 1 24 24 1 a a In addition, the operation panelincludes an LED groupin which a plurality of LEDs is arranged. Thus, the operation panelcan notify a user of the state of the image forming apparatusby using the LED group. In a case where the LED groupis used, various states can be notified to a user by using corresponding lighting patterns of the LEDs. Examples of the states include a state where a jam in which the recording material S is stuck when conveyed in an image forming job is occurring, a state where any device has a failure, and a state where a door openably and closably disposed in the image forming apparatusis open.

2 2 21 22 24 25 25 21 22 25 2 2 21 2 2 21 2 21 2 2 2 25 a b b a b a a b b a 2 FIG.B Like the above-described operation panel, the operation panelillustrated inincludes the display, the touch panel, and the LED group; and in addition to these components, includes a key-operation input portion. The key-operation input portionis physical operation keys or operation buttons (so-called hard keys) that can be operated by a user, and is disposed outside the area in which the displayand the touch panelare disposed. For example, the key-operation input portionmay be an operation key that can instruct the start of an image forming job (program), numeric keys that can accept a numerical value such as the number of sheets on which images are to be formed, or a power saving key that instructs the transition to a power saving mode. The size of the operation panelis larger than the size of the above-described operation panelin a case where the displayof the operation panelis larger than that of the above-described operation panel. In addition, even if the size of the displayof the operation panelis equal to the size of the displayof the operation panel, the size of the operation panelis larger than the size of the operation panelby the size of the key-operation input portion.

2 2 2 23 1 23 23 1 1 21 24 23 2 2 a b Each of the operation panels(and) may include a speakerthat emits a sound. In this case, the state of the image forming apparatuscan be notified to a user by using the speaker. In a case where the speakeris used, the state of the image forming apparatuscan be notified to a user by using a sound generation pattern that is determined in advance in accordance with a corresponding state of the image forming apparatus. The above-described display, LED group, and speakerare collectively disposed in the operation panel, integrally with the operation panel, for increasing the performance of notification to users and reducing cost.

1 FIG. 3 FIG. 1 FIG. 3 FIG. 1 10 1 10 1 10 As illustrated in, the image forming apparatusincludes the main-body control portionthat controls the whole of the image forming apparatus. Hereinafter, the control performed by the main-body control portionfor the whole of the image forming apparatuswill be described with reference towhile referring to. Note that although various components other than components illustrated inare connected to the main-body control portion, the illustration and description thereof will be omitted.

3 FIG. 10 100 101 102 10 12 2 13 14 15 16 12 As illustrated in, the main-body control portionincludes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and a timer. The main-body control portionis communicatively and electrically connected with devices such as the power supply apparatus, the operation panel, the fixing apparatus, the reader, the image forming portion, and the processing apparatus. The power supply apparatusconverts the electric power, supplied from a commercial power source (not illustrated) via a socket and a plug, into electric power necessary for operating the above-described each device and supplies the electric power to the device.

11 1 11 10 11 21 2 A storage apparatusstores various types of programs related to the control of the image forming apparatus, various display images, and the like. The various types of programs stored in the storage apparatusare a group of software that can be executed by the main-body control portionfor performing various types of control. In addition, the various display images stored in the storage apparatusare display data for screens displayed on the displayof the operation panel.

100 10 11 101 100 100 2 13 14 15 16 10 11 101 100 100 21 11 21 The CPUcan control the operation of each device connected to the main-body control portion, by reading and executing the program stored in the storage apparatus. The memorytemporarily stores data, such as a result of a computational processing obtained by the CPUexecuting the program. That is, the CPUcontrols the operation panel, the fixing apparatus, the reader, the image forming portion, the processing apparatus, and the like connected to the main-body control portion, based on the program stored in the storage apparatus, by using the memoryas a work area. In a case where the CPUcontrols the above-descried devices, the CPUcan cause the displayto display various images, by sending display images read from the storage apparatus, to the display.

102 10 10 1 102 1 10 10 21 The timermeasures the time in a case where the main-body control portionperforms various processes. For example, the main-body control portiontransitions the mode of the image forming apparatusfrom a standby mode to a sleep mode (i.e., a power saving mode), based on a value counted by the timer. The standby mode is a mode for putting each device on standby in a state where the image forming apparatuscan immediately form an image on the recording material S. The sleep mode is a mode for making the power consumption lower than that of the standby mode, by temporarily stopping the electric power supplied to some of the plurality of devices connected to the main-body control portion. For example, in the sleep mode, the main-body control portionstops the electric power supplied to the display.

17 17 18 A network control portionthat serves as a communication interface portion sends/receives image data and various type of information to/from an external apparatus (e.g., a personal computer or a host computer) that is communicatively connected with the network control portionvia a wired LAN or a wireless LAN, which is an external network.

10 2 2 2 4 FIG. As described above, the main-body control portionis connected with the operation panel, and controls the operation panel. Hereinafter, a control system of the operation panelwill be described in detail with reference to.

4 FIG. 2 20 20 2 10 20 200 201 202 203 As illustrated in, the operation panelincludes a panel control portion. In the present embodiment, the panel control portionsubstantially controls the operation panelunder the control of the main-body control portion. The panel control portionincludes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a timer.

201 2 202 10 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 The ROMstores a control program that controls the operation panel, various types of data, and the like. The RAMstores information obtained from the main-body control portionand related to the control of the operation panel, and information on the connection between the operation paneland the image forming apparatus. The information on the control of the operation panelincludes display data for screens; information on the state of the image forming apparatus, such as the standby mode, the sleep mode, and error detection; and count information such as the number of sheets on which images have been formed. The information on the connection between the operation paneland the image forming apparatusincludes connection information that indicates the connection state between the image forming apparatusand the operation panel.

200 20 201 202 20 21 220 24 25 203 20 The CPUcontrols each device connected to the panel control portion, by executing the control program stored in the ROMand using the RAMas a work area. Specifically, the panel control portionis connected with the display, a touch-panel control portion, the LED group, the key-operation input portion, and the like. The timermeasures the time in a case where the panel control portionperforms various processes.

21 201 10 202 20 21 201 21 202 22 21 21 22 22 21 220 22 20 21 The displayis a display portion that can display the control program stored in advance in the ROM, information on various types of data, and various types of information sent from the main-body control portionand stored in the RAM. The panel control portionselectively switches the operation between an operation that causes the displayto display an image related to the control program stored in advance in the ROMand information on the various types of data, and an operation that causes the displayto display an image related to the various types of information stored in the RAM. The touch panelthat detects a touch operation performed by a user on the screen is disposed so as to be put on the display. The displaydisplays an image that is provided to a user through the touch panel. The touch paneldetects which part of the displaya user has touched. The touch-panel control portionsends a result detected by the touch panel, to the panel control portion. For example, a user can instruct the start of an image forming job (program) that forms an image on the recording material S, or can set the number of sheets on which images are to be formed and the size of the recording material S, by touching a button or a key displayed on the screen of the display.

20 25 25 2 21 25 In addition, the panel control portionis connected with the key-operation input portion. The key-operation input portionis physical operation keys or operation buttons (so-called hard keys) that can be operated by a user, and is disposed in an area of the operation panelother than the area in which the displayis disposed. For example, the key-operation input portionincludes an operation key that can instruct the start of an image forming job (program), and numeric keys that can accept a numerical value such as the number of sheets on which images are to be formed.

20 24 20 23 20 1 24 23 In addition, the panel control portionis connected with the LED groupin which a plurality of LEDs is arranged. In addition, the panel control portionmay be connected with the speakerthat emits a sound. Thus, the panel control portioncan notify a user of the state of the image forming apparatusby using the LED groupand the speaker.

2 210 2 10 210 20 20 21 220 24 25 10 210 210 21 21 20 210 10 21 20 The operation panelincludes an interface portion(e.g., a connector) for communicatively connecting the operation paneland the main-body control portion. The interface portionthat serves as a connection portion is connected with the panel control portion. The panel control portioncan control devices, such as the display, the touch-panel control portion, the LED group, and the key-operation input portion, under the control of the main-body control portionperformed via the interface portion. In addition, the interface portionis connected with the display. Since the displayis connected with not only the panel control portionbut also the interface portion, the main-body control portioncan directly control the displaynot via the panel control portion.

10 1 10 21 21 10 20 20 24 23 For example, in a case where the main-body control portiondetects an operation error of the image forming apparatus, the main-body control portionnotifies a user of the error by causing the displayto display an error screen, by outputting the error information to the display. In addition, the main-body control portionoutputs the error information to the panel control portion, and thereby notifies a user of the error by causing the panel control portionto turn on the LED groupor emit an error sound from the speaker.

14 14 141 142 502 502 141 502 503 14 503 503 503 14 502 503 503 5 FIG. 5 FIG. 1 FIG. 3 FIG. a a b a a a Next, the readerwill be described with reference to. As illustrated in, the readerincludes, in addition to the above-described document platenand ADF(see), a reading portionthat can optically read an image of a document. The reading portioncan move back and forth in a direction indicated by an arrow Y, with respect to the document platen. The reading portionincludes a reading light sourceand a motor(see). The reading light sourceincludes a light emitting portionthat emits light to a document, and a light receiving portionthat receives the light reflected from the document. The motormoves the reading portionin the direction indicated by the arrow Y. The light emitting portionis a plurality of LEDs arranged side by side in a direction that intersects the direction indicated by the arrow Y. The light emitting portioncan be visually recognized by a user from the outside.

502 141 502 503 502 502 141 502 502 502 14 142 14 502 141 a In a case where the reading portionreads an image of a document placed on the document platen, the reading portionis controlled so as to move in a state where the light emitting portionemits light. In a case where the reading portiondoes not read a document, the reading portionis on standby at a home position on the left side of the document platen. In a case where the reading portionreads a document, the reading portionreads an image of the document while moving rightward from the home position. After that, the reading portionmoves leftward and returns to the home position. Note that the readermay not include the ADF. In this case, the readercauses the reading portionto read an image of a document manually placed on the document platenby a user.

10 14 502 10 10 17 18 The main-body control portionconnected with the readerreceives the read data of the image that is read by the reading portion. The main-body control portioncan use the read data, received by the main-body control portion, for forming an image, or can cause the network control portionto send the read data to an external host computer connected to the external network.

2 2 2 2 1 1 2 25 1 1 2 25 1 1 2 1 2 6 FIG.A 6 FIG.B a b a b. As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation panelsA andB having different sizes are prepared in advance, and one of the operation panelsA andB is disposed in the apparatus bodyA such that one operation panel can be replaced with another.illustrates the image forming apparatusin which the operation panelthat does not include the key-operation input portionis attached to the apparatus bodyA.illustrates the image forming apparatusin which the operation panelthat includes the key-operation input portionis attached to the apparatus bodyA. In the image forming apparatusof the present embodiment, the operation panelattached in advance to the apparatus bodyA can be detached, and can be replaced with the larger operation panel

2 2 2 10 2 210 2 2 500 12 2 2 10 10 2 10 21 20 2 10 2 21 24 23 2 2 a b b b b b a b b b b b a By the way, in a case where the operation panelis replaced with the operation panel, if the operation panelis not properly attached, the main-body control portionand the operation panelare not communicatively connected with each other via the interface portion. In this case, the operation panelmay be in a state (referred to also as a connection failure) where the operation panelis unable to communicate. If the main-power switchis turned on and the electric power is supplied again by the power supply apparatusafter the operation panelis replaced with the operation panel, the main-body control portiondetects the connection failure when checking the connection between the main-body control portionand the operation panel. However, even if the main-body control portiondetects the connection failure, the error information is not received by the displayand the panel control portionof the operation panelbecause the main-body control portionand the operation panelare not communicatively connected with each other. As a result, the displaydisplays no images, the LED groupturns on no LED, and the speakeremits no sound. That is, the connection failure cannot be notified to a user via the operation panel, which the operation panelhas been replaced with.

10 2 210 10 10 2 10 2 10 500 2 12 7 FIG. 3 4 FIGS.and 7 FIG. In view of this point, in the present embodiment, in a state where the main-body control portionand the operation panelare not communicatively connected with each other via the interface portion, the main-body control portioncan notify a user of the connection failure between the main-body control portionand the operation panelin a case where the main-body control portionand the operation panelare unable to communicate with each other. Hereinafter, an error-notification control process of the present embodiment for achieving the notification will be described with reference towhile referring to. The error-notification control process illustrated inis started by the main-body control portionin a case where the main-power switchis turned on after the replacement of the operation paneland the electric power is supplied again by the power supply apparatus.

7 FIG. 12 10 20 1 10 20 10 2 10 10 20 20 201 20 2 As illustrated in, if the electric power is supplied from the power supply apparatus, then the main-body control portioncommunicates with the panel control portion(S). In the communication, the main-body control portionsends/receives a signal to/from the panel control portionfor checking the connection between the main-body control portionand the operation panel. The main-body control portiondetermines whether the communication between the main-body control portionand the panel control portionhas been performed normally, by receiving a notification signal sent from the panel control portion, or by reading predetermined data stored in the ROMof the panel control portion(S).

10 20 2 10 10 2 2 503 503 14 3 10 503 2 10 503 503 500 500 2 1 503 a a a a a If the communication between the main-body control portionand the panel control portionhas not been performed normally (S: YES), then the main-body control portiondetermines the connection failure (i.e., a communication error) between the main-body control portionand the operation panel, and notifies a user of the connection failure of the operation panelby using the light emitting portion, by controlling the reading light sourceof the reader(S). In this case, the main-body control portioncauses the plurality of LEDs of the light emitting portionto emit light with a predetermined lighting pattern. For example, as the lighting pattern for notifying a user of the connection failure of the operation panel, the main-body control portioncauses all the plurality of LEDs of the light emitting portionto emit light (full lighting). In this case, the light emitting portionmay be caused to emit light until the main-power switchis turned off (main-power OFF), or may be caused to emit light until a predetermined time (e.g., a few minutes) has elapsed since the main-power switchwas turned on (main-power ON). In this manner, in a case where the operation panelis unable to communicate when the main power of the image forming apparatusis turned on, the light emitting portionis caused to emit light with a predetermined lighting pattern.

10 20 2 10 2 210 10 102 4 4 10 1 If the main-body control portioncommunicates normally with the panel control portion(S: NO), that is, if the main-body control portionand the operation panelare communicatively connected with each other via the interface portion, then the main-body control portionstarts the timerand stops the process until a predetermined time (e.g., 1 second) has elapsed (S: NO). If the predetermined time has elapsed (S: YES), then the main-body control portionreturns to Step Sand repeats the process.

10 2 10 2 900 210 26 10 2 10 2 10 20 10 2 10 2 1 503 2 a This is because even if the main-body control portionand the operation panelare communicatively connected with each other, the state (connection failure) where the main-body control portionand the operation panelare not communicatively connected with each other may be caused, with use, by the deterioration or break of the main-body connection portion, the interface portion, or the cableused for connecting the main-body control portionand the operation panel. Thus, even in a case where the main-body control portionand the operation panelare communicatively connected with each other, the main-body control portionregularly communicates with the panel control portionfor detecting the connection failure between the main-body control portionand the operation panel. Thus, even in a case where the main-body control portionand the operation panelbecome unable to communicate with each other in a state where the main power of the image forming apparatushas been turned on, the light emitting portionis caused to emit light until a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation panelbecame unable to communicate, or until the main power is turned off.

503 2 503 503 503 a a a a Note that the lighting pattern of the light emitting portionfor notifying a user of the connection failure of the operation panelmay be any lighting pattern. For example, instead of the full lighting of the light emitting portion, the light emitting portionmay be caused to blink in predetermined cycles. In addition, the lighting pattern is not limited to the lighting or blinking. For example, the lighting color of each LED of the light emitting portionmay be changed from white, used for reading a document (in a normal operation), to another color, or a plurality of colors may be selected sequentially.

2 503 503 2 2 21 2 a a 8 8 FIGS.A toC As described above, in the present embodiment, in a case where the connection failure of the operation paneloccurs, the light emitting portionis caused to emit light with a predetermined lighting pattern, so that the connection failure can be notified to a user. For achieving this, the user has to know that the lighting pattern of the light emitting portionfor notifying the connection failure of the operation panelis different from a normal lighting pattern. Thus, in the present embodiment, the lighting pattern for notifying the connection failure of the operation panelis displayed on the displaybefore the user performs the replacement work of the operation panel. This point will be described with reference to.

21 500 1 1 1 8 FIG.A 8 FIG.A First, a user selects and operates an operation-panel replacement work button in a menu screen (not illustrated) displayed on the display. If the operation-panel replacement work button is operated, a replacement procedure screen illustrated inis displayed. As illustrated in, on the replacement procedure screen, a caution instructing a user to start the replacement work after turning off the main-power switchof the image forming apparatusis displayed. In addition, on the replacement procedure screen, a section of the replacement procedure in the manual in which the usage of the image forming apparatusis written, the method of printing the replacement procedure, and the like are displayed. If a “print” button of the replacement procedure screen is operated, the image forming apparatusoperates, and outputs the recording material S on which the replacement procedure is printed.

2 2 21 500 1 2 503 14 503 503 8 FIG.B 8 FIG.B a a a Furthermore, on the replacement procedure screen, the operation of the operation panelafter the replacement, and cautions after the replacement are displayed. If a “next” button of the replacement procedure screen is operated, a cautions-after-replacement screen on which the detail of the cautions after replacement is described is displayed. As illustrated in, on the cautions-after-replacement screen, the method of checking the connection failure of the operation panelin a case where nothing is displayed on the displayeven though the main-power switchof the image forming apparatusis turned on is displayed. In, the method of checking the connection failure of the operation panelis to check if the LEDs remain on (i.e., a predetermined mode), which is a lighting pattern of the light emitting portionof the reader. In addition, for making it easy for a user to check the position of the light emitting portion, an image that indicates the position of the light emitting portionis displayed on the cautions-after-replacement screen.

8 FIG.C 8 FIG.C 503 503 2 2 2 2 10 2 2 2 2 2 a a If a “previous” button of the cautions-after-replacement screen is operated, the replacement procedure screen is displayed again. If a “next” button of the cautions-after-replacement screen is operated, a recovery procedure screen is displayed. As illustrated in, on the recovery procedure screen, a recovery procedure corresponding to a lighting pattern of the light emitting portionis displayed. In, in a case where the light emitting portionremains on as a lighting pattern, the connection failure of the operation panelhas been occurring. Thus, the recovery procedure displayed on the recovery procedure screen for eliminating the connection failure of the operation panelinstructs a user to reconnect the operation panel. The connection failure of the operation paneloccurs mainly because a connector or a cable for communicatively connecting the main-body control portionand the operation panelis not properly fit in the operation panel. Thus, for properly fitting the connector or the cable in the operation panel, the procedure for instructing a user to reconnect the operation panelis displayed. In addition, on the recovery procedure screen, an instruction for a user to contact a support center in a case where the connection failure is not eliminated even though the operation panelis reconnected is displayed.

503 503 503 1 2 21 1 On the recovery procedure screen, another instruction for a user to contact the support center also in a case where the reading light sourcecompletely fails to turn on. This is because if the reading light sourcecompletely fails to turn on, the reading light sourceitself may have a failure. If a “print” button of the recovery procedure screen is operated, the image forming apparatusoperates, and outputs the recording material S on which the recovery procedure is printed. As described above, the recording material S on which the replacement procedure is printed, and the recording material S on which the recovery procedure is printed can be output for a user to check the replacement procedure and the recovery procedure even if the connection failure occurs in the operation paneland the above-described replacement procedure screen and recovery procedure screen are not displayed on the display. If a “previous” button of the recovery procedure screen is operated, the cautions-after-replacement screen is displayed again. If an “OK” button of the recovery procedure screen is operated, the automatic power off of the image forming apparatusis performed.

10 2 503 14 2 503 2 10 2 2 2 503 2 a a a As described above, in the present embodiment, in a case where the connection failure between the main-body control portionand the operation paneloccurs, the connection failure is notified to a user by using the light emitting portionof the reader. In a case where the operation panelis unable to communicate, the light emitting portionis caused to emit light with a predetermined lighting pattern that indicates the connection failure of the operation panel. That is, even in a case where the connection failure between the main-body control portionand the operation paneloccurs and the operation panelcannot be used, the occurrence of the connection failure of the operation panelcan be notified to a user by causing the light emitting portionto emit light, instead of using the operation panel.

2 2 503 10 2 10 502 14 14 14 2 502 141 141 14 502 14 14 14 502 2 502 502 503 a a a a a In the above-described embodiment, in a case where the connection failure of the operation paneloccurs, the connection failure of the operation panelis notified to a user by causing the light emitting portionto emit light with a predetermined lighting pattern. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, in a case where the main-body control portionand the operation panelare unable to communicate with each other, the main-body control portionmay operate the reading portion(i.e., an operating member) of the readerby controlling the motordisposed in the readerand serving as a driving portion. For example, as a predetermined operating pattern (i.e., a predetermined operation) for notifying a user of the connection failure of the operation panel, the reading portionmay move back and forth in the direction indicated by the arrow Y, between the home position and the position of an edge portion of the document platenopposite to the home position, or between the home position and a position between the home position and the edge portion of the document platenin the direction indicated by the arrow Y. If the motoris driven, operating noise occurs; and if the reading portionis moved, the readervibrates. In this case, since the motoremits the operating noise and the readervibrates, a user notices the operation of the reading portion, and realizes the connection failure of the operation panelby checking the operation of the reading portion. Note that the reading portionmay be operated with a predetermined operating pattern while the light emitting portionis caused to emit light with a predetermined lighting pattern.

2 503 502 1 14 2 10 1 14 a In the above-described embodiments, the connection failure of the operation panelis notified to a user by causing the light emitting portionto emit light with a predetermined lighting pattern, or by operating the reading portionwith a predetermined operating pattern. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. Some types of the image forming apparatusmay not include the reader. Hereinafter, a method of notifying the connection failure between the operation paneland the main-body control portionin a single-function printer in which the image forming apparatusdoes not include the readerwill be described.

17 17 2 17 17 17 18 17 17 18 17 18 17 18 18 17 17 17 17 17 10 a a a a a a 3 FIG. For example, an interface lighting portion(see) of the network control portionmay be used for notifying a user of the connection failure of the operation panel. Normally, the interface lighting portioncan be turned on in accordance with the communication state between the network control portionand an external apparatus connected to the network control portionvia the external network. The interface lighting portionincludes two types of LEDs that can be visually recognized by a user from the outside. One is a connection-state notification LED that indicates the connection between the network control portionand the external network, and continues to emit light while the network control portionis connected to the external network. The other is a communication-state notification LED that indicates the communication state between the network control portionand an external apparatus via the external network, and blinks in accordance with the transmission and reception of communication data performed via the external network. Normally, the interface lighting portionis controlled by a network controller (not illustrated) of the network control portion. If a network cable (not illustrated) is not connected to the network control portion, the interface lighting portiondoes not turn on. Normally, the interface lighting portionis controlled by the network controller in accordance with the network control, and is not directly controlled by the main-body control portion.

2 10 17 10 17 10 10 2 a In the present embodiment, in a case where the connection failure of the operation paneloccurs, the main-body control portioncauses the interface lighting portionto emit light with a predetermined mode by sending a command to the network controller and changing a register of the network controller. For example, the main-body control portioncauses the connection-state notification LED to blink, and causes the communication-state notification LED to continue to emit light. In addition, if the network cable is not connected to the network control portion, the main-body control portionmay cause both of the connection-state notification LED and the communication-state notification LED to emit light. That is, the main-body control portionnotifies a user of the connection failure of the operation panelby causing the connection-state notification LED and the communication-state notification LED to emit light in a mode different from the normal mode.

12 12 2 12 500 500 12 12 500 12 500 12 10 12 2 10 12 10 2 12 a a a a a a a 3 FIG. In addition, a power-supply lighting portion(see) of the power supply apparatusmay be used for notifying a user of the connection failure of the operation panel. As described above, the power supply apparatusincludes the main-power switchfor a user to switch (turn on and off) the electric power supplied from the commercial power source. For example, the main-power switchis a seesaw or tactile switch. Some types of the power supply apparatusinclude the power-supply lighting portion(i.e., a power-supply-state notification LED) disposed in the vicinity of the main-power switchso as to be able to be visually recognized by a user from the outside. The power-supply lighting portionnotifies a user of a power-supply ON state when the main-power switchis turned on. Normally, the power-supply lighting portioncontinues to emit light in the power-supply ON state. In the present embodiment, the main-body control portioncauses the power-supply lighting portionto emit light in a predetermined mode in a case where the connection failure of the operation paneloccurs. For example, the main-body control portioncauses the power-supply lighting portionto blink. That is, the main-body control portionnotifies a user of the connection failure of the operation panelby causing the power-supply lighting portion(i.e., a power-supply-state notification LED) to emit light in a mode different from the normal mode.

503 17 12 2 a a a Note that any lighting portion, such as an LED, other than the above-described light emitting portion, the interface lighting portion, and the power-supply lighting portionand disposed so as to be able to be visually recognized by a user from the outside may be used for notifying a user of the connection failure of the operation panelif the lighting portion can be caused to emit light in a lighting pattern different from the normal lighting pattern.

16 142 2 2 10 2 Furthermore, an operating member, such as the processing apparatusor the ADF, may be used for notifying a user of the connection failure of the operation panel. In a case where the connection failure of the operation paneloccurs, the main-body control portionnotifies a user of the connection failure of the operation panelby continuously driving the operating member.

502 16 142 2 1 Note that any operating member other than the above-described reading portion, the processing apparatus, and the ADFmay be used for notifying a user of the connection failure of the operation panelif the operating member is movably disposed in the apparatus bodyA, the operating state of the operating member can be checked by a user, and the operating member can operate with an operating pattern different from the normal operating pattern.

Note that the above-described embodiments are not limited to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and may be applied to an image forming apparatus, such as an ink-jet system, that has another system.

Embodiment(s) of the present disclosure can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to embodiments, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-046978 filed Mar. 21, 025, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.